Smithfield women question lack of Dominion bill

Laura Middleton of Smithfield hasn’t seen a statement from Dominion Energy showing her electricity usage since May of last year.

She’s been making regular payments, but says none have been applied to any bills.

“Our account currently shows a $2,800 credit and there’s no bills that it’s been applied to for a year,” Middleton said. “We have been actively calling them trying to sort it out and we keep getting the runaround.”

Middleton said she called Dominion on May 23, and again on June 21, spending over an hour on the phone on the latter date.

“They still have no answers,” she said.

Kathy Mountjoy, who lives just outside the town, has a similar story.

This month, she received an envelope filled with past bills. Prior to that, she hadn’t seen a bill in the mail since January.

“I had paid ahead out of fear of ending up with some huge balance so now I have a credit balance,” Mountjoy said.

Mountjoy, however, has had more success than Middleton in getting through to a Dominion representative.

“I now have two representatives that are assisting me with this billing issue,” Mountjoy said.

Cherise Newsome, a spokeswoman for Dominion, told The Smithfield Times her company was aware of a single customer with a billing issue as of June 11, and as of June 21 had not received any reports of billing issues affecting the Smithfield area as a whole.

“We understand that it is frustrating for customers to wait for answers, and we will work more diligently to provide timely customer service. Customer bills vary for multiple reasons,” Newsome said. “If a customer notices a $0 balance, it is likely that their electric meter is collecting details about their energy usage but is not properly relaying the data to Dominion Energy for billing purposes.”

This is common in areas of new residential construction, Newsome said, though Middleton and Mountjoy each live in established neighborhoods.

“When the meter is properly paired with a customer’s account, it will generate up-to-date bills,” Newsome said.

Dominion offers flexible payment arrangements and billing assistance to customers who need help paying balances that have accrued on their accounts. Those like Middleton and Mountjoy who have continued to make regular payments and have accused a significant credit “can choose to have the credit refunded to them or applied to future usage,” Newsome said.

Newsome said customers who need assistance with a billing issue should call Dominion at 1-866-DOM-HELP or 1-866-366-4357.